


Halloween

by Miikado



Series: Hijack Shorts [3]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Puns, Costume Party, First Meetings, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, I'm a comedy genius, M/M, Mention of alcohol, Spirits & Ghosts, except not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 13:50:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3413015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miikado/pseuds/Miikado
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiccup isn't too fond of parties, especially costume parties. But when Astrid drags him to one, and he meets with a charming white-haired boy, he realizes they probably aren't so bad after all... Except maybe for one particular fact.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Halloween

Hiccup usually wasn't one to attend parties. Be it the obnoxious, loud ones with drinking and smoking involved or the quiet, movie-night kind of parties with only a handful of close friends, the teen had always preferred staying peacefully in his room, reading a book, or having his butt kicked at Mario Kart by his little brother, Toothless.

But not this time.

This time, Astrid had personally threatened to rip out his throat if he didn't show up. It didn't help that she was hosting, either, which meant that he couldn't lie about knowing no one there. She had even pulled the "best friend" card (and, gods, he hated her for that), saying that she genuinely needed him there with her.

Hiccup knew that was a blatant lie, of course. Astrid had always been part or the popular crowd at school, and that popularity had only increased when she had joined the lacrosse team last year.

Truly, Hiccup always wondered why she kept hanging out with him, when she obviously could find better company than a stuck-up, sarcastic, socially awkward know-it-all of a nerd. But not once had the blonde girl ditched him for more interesting or open people, and he felt like he owed her for that (she did make a point to often remind him of that, too).

That's why he had showed up at her Halloween party that night, dressed up in a shaggy, oversized Viking costume that matched her own. There wasn't much a competition between the two, costume-wise, though. Hiccup's ample green shirt, brown pants and fur vest and boots were of no match to her skull-crested skirt and shoulder pads. Completed with a bloody axe (a real one she had gotten as a present from her dad), she looked exactly like a Nordic Goddess descended straight from Valhalla.

On the other hand, with his metallic horned helmet too big for him that constantly fell over his eyes, Hiccup looked more like the typical runt of the litter, the one that would probably have gotten shunned by the entire village.

True to herself, Astrid had come up with the charming title of "Hiccup the Useless" as a fitting Viking name for him.

After maybe half-an-hour of failed socializing attempts on his side, Hiccup had given up on trying to act like a regular teenager amongst Astrid's friends, and had decided to take a walk outside.

So there he was, standing in the girl's garden, away from the other sweaty teens inside, getting hammered and dancing or making out with each other.

Hiccup let out a sigh of relief. He was feeling much better now that he was away from all the commotion. The weather outside was nice, surprisingly cool for the last day of October. The night had settled in a few hours before, and although it was still a bit cold, the brunet could handle staying outside in just his costume, at least for a while.

The garden at Astrid's place was quite big, compared to the other houses in the neighbourhood. There was a long row of pine trees aligned along a white wooden fence, with even a small pond at the end of the garden.

Hiccup remembered when he was younger, the pond used to hold a couple of koi carps, and he and Astrid would often come to feed them. But after an unfortunate incident with the neighbors' cat, the Hoffersons had given up on the idea of a fish pond, and had kept it as a regular, empty pond.

But this time, the pond wasn't as empty when Hiccup noticed an odd-looking boy sitting by the water, his bare feet hovering just above the surface. He was wearing a dark blue hoodie with frost patterns around the neck and wrists, with skinny beige pants ripped at the end and tied to his calves with brown ropes.

What first hit Hiccup about the boy wasn't his outfit, though, or the long shepherd staff he was twirling in one hand. No, it was the boy's snow white hair, standing in unusual angles and falling over his eyes in bright pearly strands.

The boy was focused on the pond, not paying any mind to the new-comer and, for a moment, Hiccup considered just walking away. As intrigued as he was by the other teen, he really wasn't in the mood for any small-talk. But, fate had it, the brunet had barely taken a step back when he tripped over a wild root and fell butt-first on the frozen grass, landing with a painful 'thump'.

Immediately, he shot a glance towards the white-haired teen who was now eyeing him curiously. Shameful and embarrassed, Hiccup stood up, brushing the dirt off his clothes, and gave the other boy a sheepish wave. There was no turning back at this point; the teen had clearly seen him, and it would've been rude to simply turn around without a word.

« Hi… » He said, taking a step forwards.

The boy raised an eyebrow, looking at him cautiously. He glanced around, then turned back to Hiccup.

« Me? » He asked, pointing at his chest. He frowned when Hiccup gave a hesitant nod. « You can see me? » He questioned again.

« Err... Yeah? » The brunet bit his lips. Shoot, was he not supposed to? Maybe the boy really wanted to be left alone, after all… « I'm sorry » Hiccup stuttered « I didn't mean to intrude, I just— I wanted to— I can leave if you want ».

Apparently recovering from his initial shock, the boy shook his head vigorously, waving at the smaller teen to come closer, patting the rock next to him.

« I, err... Okay, yeah » Hiccup muttered, doing as he was told.

He sat down, and pushed his helmet up with the palm of his hand.

« I'm Jack » the white-haired boy said, offering a dazzling smile of perfectly aligned teeth.

Hiccup opened his mouth to answer, but only managed to stare—oogle, almost—at the stranger. Objectively speaking, and despite his pale, almost translucent skin, Jack was by far one of the most attractive people the boy had seen all night—or ever, for that matter. The brunet shook his head, snapping himself out of his daze

« Hiccup » He said, bracing himself for any oncoming joke regarding his name.

« Well, Hiccup » Jack said, without a single trace of mockery in his voice « You're a special one, you know that? ».

« I guess? » The boy eluded, not really understanding what the other had meant by that.

Apparently, the answer satisfied the older teen, whose smile only grew wider as he kept talking.

« So what are you supposed to be? » Jack asked, waving his finger in the general direction of the boy's clothes « Some sort of tiny Viking? ».

« I think you meant the burliest of Vikings! » Hiccup grinned, flexing his non-existent muscles, earning a heart-felt laugh from Jack.

« Ah yes! » the other laughed « I can see that from your indisputable raw manliness! I'm impressed! »

The brunet chuckled. « And you? I'm guessing some kind of Snow Elf, right? »

Jack's smile flattened « What? » He asked, taken off guard.

« Your costume » Hiccup explained, gesturing the taller teen's outfit.

He bit his lips, praying to the gods he hadn't gotten in wrong.

« Oh, right, yeah… » Jack shook his head, like he was suddenly remembering his clothes. « My... Costume » He coughed, then looked back up at Hiccup with a grin « I'm actually the spirit of Winter, and Guardian of Fun, thank you very much »

« Right » The brunet chuckled « So _not_ an elf? »

« How _dare_ you, sir? » The other teen gasped in mock offense.

« I'm sorry, I'm sorry! » Hiccup laughed, throwing his hands up in defense « Please don't freeze me! »

« Nah! » Jack chuckled, twirling his staff above the water « I wouldn't want to ruin those cute freckles of yours »

The brunet chocked, face turning bright red, and he tried to pull on his helmet to hide his embarrassment, which only doubled the other's amusement.

« I'm _sorry_ , are you embarrassed by your adorableness? » Jack asked « I didn't mean to be rude, I just wanted to... _Break the ice_ »

Hiccup's eyes shot open wide, and he burst out laughing, arms wrapped around his middle and fingers digging in his ribs, trying to controls his hilarity. Jack bit back a laugh of his own, and leaned a bit towards the brunet.

« Well I certainly didn't expect you to have such a _meltdown_ » Jack winked, flicking the smaller teen's forehead.

Hiccup chuckled, lifting his face to look provocatively into Jack's eyes. « Don't flatter yourself. That was an awful pun. »

« How _cold_ of you to say that! » Jack gasped, pressing a hand to his chest.

« Oh what? » Hiccup snorted, raising an eyebrow « Did I offend you, Frosty? »

« Very much, yes! » the white-haired teen cried out « I can't believe you'd say something so _cold-hearted_ to me! » He gasped dramatically. « And here I was, hoping to spend the evening with a lovely little viking… » He smirked at the brunet « Have you seen them anywhere? »

Hiccup gave him a crooked grin « I could always go get Astrid, if you want »

« Ah, yeah, I'd rather not » Jack frowned slightly « I saw what she did to that drunk dude who tried to hit on her »

« Yeah, I guess messing with her goes against basic survival instincts » Hiccup chuckled.

At this point, they were awfully close to each other, and the brunet tried to stifle the blush creeping at his cheeks, staring at his hands to avoid eye-contact.

« So tell me, Hic » Jack leaned in a little, grabbing his ankles « What's your thing? »

« My thing? »

« Your Halloween thing! » He said, throwing his hands up « Everyone has a Halloween-related story that pushes them to dress up every year even after they grow too much for the stores to sell their size of costume » He pointed at the brunet's obviously hand-made costume « So what's your thing? »

« I don't think I have a thing » Hiccup looked down at his hands, biting his lips.

« Everyone has a thing! » Jack exclaimed « So, what, do you believe in ghosts, maybe? »

« I used to as a kid » The brunet shrugged, but frowned slightly when he saw the other grinning. He bit back a smile « Don't laugh! » He cried out « I was a very gullible kid! I believed in ghosts and trolls and dragons, too! »

The boy shook his head, laughing. For years, he had driven his father insane, constantly making up theories about fantastic creatures and how to catch them. He'd run off on his own, and had gotten lost more often than he was willing to admit.

« Something tells me you still believe at least a little bit » Jack nudged him with a wink. Hiccup looked away, shrugging

« Well! » He laughed « It's hard not to believe on the night of Halloween! »

He chuckled, expecting the other to laugh loudly with him or make a snarky comeback. But, had he been watching him, he would've seen the white-haired teen looking dazed, a sad smile ghosting over his lips.

« Trust me » Jack whispered, his voice barely audible « Most people don't believe, even on that night… »

« What? » The brunet asked, pretty sure the older teen had said something.

« Nothing » Jack shot him a dazzling smile, nudging him with his shoulder.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. He was sure he had heard something, but he didn't know Jack enough to push him, so he decided to drop the subject.

« Anyway what are you doing here outside alone? » Jack asked « Shouldn't you be inside with the others, hoarding all the ladies with your mad charms? » T

he smaller teen huffed « I'll let you know that I am, in fact, plenty charming, thank you very much! » He crossed his arms on his chest, taking offense at what the other had implied « Besides I don't drink, and I don't like meddling with people when they're too sweaty and too drunk to hold a proper conversation »

« Ack! » Jack gasped, slamming his fist in his hand dramatically « So much for my plan to get you drunk and bringing you home with me, then! »

« Whatever, Jackass » Hiccup pulled a face at him « You act like you're such a social butterfly, but what were you doing here alone, then? »

« Observing » Jack said, leaning forwards and wiggling in eyebrows « Hunting for the next prey to take back to my lair. I'm actually a serial killer, y'know » He laughed when the brunet punched his shoulder « Nah, I'm kidding! » He chucked « I was just taking a bit of fresh air, and I'm in such a pleasant company » He winked.

Hiccup looked down at his hands, hiding the blush creeping at his cheeks and pushing his helmet back up.

« Thanks » he muttered softly.

« Actually » Jack grinned « I was talking about myself » He laughed, and Hiccup cursed, shoving him off the rock he was sitting on, telling him to go to hell, which only increases the white-haired teen's hilarity.

« I'm kidding! I'm kidding! » Jack laughed, climbing back on the rock and dodging when the brunet tried to push him back off « You're pretty decent to be around, really » His voice became softer, a caring smile on his lips. Said smile instantly turned into a mischievous grin as he added « I mean for a talking fishbone. »

« Don't make me unleash my Viking wrath on you! » Hiccup threatened, pointing a finger at Jack menacingly.

« No, please, don't! » The other laughed, throwing his hands up in defense « I'm terrified and slightly turned on! »

Hiccup choked, face turning bright red, which only seemed to amuse the other even more. When he finally managed to regain composure, he glanced towards the house. The living room was brightly lit, and even with the flashing lights, Hiccup could figure out the blonde girl pacing the room; Astrid was probably going mad trying to find out where he had left to, and she wouldn't hesitate to get physical if he didn't go back inside quickly.

« I should go back » he said to Jack, biting his lip, not really eager to leave « Astrid's gonna kill me if I don't. »

« She seems like she has quite a temper, no? »

« You have no idea… » The smaller teen slumped his shoulders, shuddering at the thought of Astrid getting mad at him again. He turned to Jack, pointing awkwardly towards the house « You wanna come? »

Jack seemed to hesitate for a moment, and Hiccup noticed how his smile vanished for a split of a second before reappearing, except it didn't quite reach his eyes anymore.

« Nah! » The boy shrugged, almost nonchalantly « I think I'll stay back a bit more, I'll catch up with you later »

The brunet gave a quick nod, and tried to gulp down his disappointment. He'd been having a lot of fun with Jack, especially since he hadn't expected to meet anyone interesting that night. If he was completely honest, he really liked the taller teen, with his oddly-coloured hair and snarky fun-loving attitude.

He shook his head. Jack didn't seem like the kind of guy to promise something and not keep that promise. If he said he's see him soon, he would. Probably. Maybe?

« I—err... Yeah » Hiccup nodded, standing up from the rock. He stood awkwardly for a second, before dusting his pants and straightening himself up, smiling sheepishly at Jack. « See you later? »

« Count on it! » Jack grinned.

The brunet smiled, and walked back towards the house. But, barely had he taken a step out of the shade of the pine trees that he was pulled back by Jack grabbing his hand. Hiccup turned around, eyebrow raised at the boy standing in front of him, grabbing both wrists with his hands. He bit back a shiver at the icy coldness of his touch.

« Actually » Jack said « I've been meaning to try something out. Close your eyes and please don't be mad »

The smaller teen frowned, but obeyed nonetheless. « I swear to the gods, Jack, if it's one of those screamer pranks I will kill y— »

Hiccup was suddenly cut off by a pair of freezing lips on his, and he gasped, eyes snapping open. But it only took him a second to understand what was going on, and his lids fluttered close again as he leaned into the kiss, feeling Jack grin against his lips.

Too soon to his liking, the taller boy pulled away, and Hiccup looked up at him, biting his lower lip. Jack was staring straight into his eyes, forehead pressed against his. He chuckled softly, icy breath tickling freckled skin.

« Happy Halloween » he whispered, lips ghosting over the brunet's « I'll see you around, Hic »

Hiccup was in too much of a daze to doubt anything he was told, and he mechanically walked back inside the house when Jack freed his hands. He slid the glass door open, and was brought back to reality by the thumping of the music and bitter smell of booze. Someone in the room cried out because of the cold, and the brunet closed the door, too embarrassed to look outside in case Jack was still watching.

Quickly, his eyes scanned the room to find Astrid, dead set on putting the conversation behind him and going back outside. He was nearly tackled to the ground when the blonde girl found him first.

« Hiccup where the hell have you been?! » She asked, punching his shoulder « I've been looking all over for you! »

« Astrid calm down! » The boy said, rubbing his painful limb « I was just outside in the garden! »

« In the cold? » Astrid asked suspiciously « Alone? »

« Not alone... Exactly » Hiccup eluded, looking at the floor awkwardly « I was with Jack »

Knowing Astrid, Hiccup had really expected her to scream and get mad for leaving without a word, then get annoyingly nosy in whatever had happened between the two. What he hadn't expected, though, was what she answered instead;

« Who? »

« Jack! » Hiccup repeated « Y'know, white hair, blue hoodie, perfect teeth, shit-eating grin? » When the girl still looked skeptical, he added « He was just out in the garden before I left »

« Hiccup… » Astrid said, softly, like she was afraid to scare him off « I don't know who you were talking to, but there's no Jack here, and I haven't seen anyone in the garden all night… »

« What? » Hiccup frowned, turning around towards the window « But he's just— »

He stopped dead on his track. The garden was in fact empty, with nothing outside other than the pine trees. The pond had completely frozen over and a few snowflakes when dancing down from the sky.

« But he was… »

« Hic, maybe I should take you to bed » Astrid suggested « Obviously you've had too much to drink and you're exhausted »

« I didn't— »

He hadn't swallowed a single drop on alcohol all night, he almost told her. But, looking outside, at the frozen pond that had been clear water only a second ago, and the snow covered floor with no footprints at all, he thought that maybe he did need some rest.

Hiccup followed the blonde upstairs as she helped him into a bed. He laid in the covers for a while, trying to clear his mind from everything.

Unbeknown to him, a certain winter spirit was spying him from a nearby rooftop, smiling to himself as he though that maybe Halloween wasn't such a bad time of the year after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Reminder: I'm currently accepting prompts and AUs for Hijack one-shots! If you have any suggestions, let me know and I'll get to is as fast as possible!


End file.
